1. Network Systems Administration - Linux
CISN 300: Network Systems Administration - Linux
8/24/2008
Network Systems Administration - Linux
CISN 300 Orientation

2. Instructor: Buddy Spisak
CISN 300: Network Systems Administration - Linux
8/24/2008
Instructor: Buddy Spisak
Office Hours:
Tuesday’s 6:30-7:40 p.m. in BS-143 (Aug. 26th to Dec. 9th, 2008)
I am also available through or you can chat with me using Microsoft’s Windows Messenger (when I am available).
Phone: (916) x14162 or (800) ext.14162
(put “CISN 300” in the subject line). The turn around time for most is about one to two days. Be sure to include your name in each so that I can identify who you are and what the is about.
Course Web page:
Instructor Web page:
Microsoft Messenger: You can also add me to you contact list for Windows Messenger. You can use my address to find me.
CISN 300

3. Course Details Class Credits: 3 units Prerequisite: None
Advisory: CISC 302, CISC 308, or CISC 310
Lecture: Online
Lab Hours:
Wednesday 6:00 to 9:10 p.m.
Accepted for Credit: CSU
CISN 300

4. Required Textbook: SUSE Linux Enterprise Server Administration
Author:  Jason Eckert
Publisher:  Thompson Course Technology, 2007
ISBN10: 
ISBN13:
CISN 300

5. Optional Materials:
3-1/2” floppies, a flash drive, or RW-DVD’s to store your work for the class.
CISN 300

6. Course Description:
This course covers the administration of a server in a client/server network. Topics include designing a basic network, installing and configuring a network operating system, managing network security with user and group accounts, creating directory structures and network shares, setting up and managing network printers, backing up servers, monitoring and troubleshooting network resources, and establishing policies and procedures for network operations.
CISN 300

7. Student Learning Outcomes and Course Objectives:
As a result of completing this course, you will be able to:
SLO #01: CRITIQUE THE FUNDAMENTALS OF A SERVER
Differentiate between peer-to-peer and client-server networking models
Investigate server functions and benefits
Identify characteristics that distinguish server hardware from client hardware
SLO #02: CALCULATE SERVER PLACEMENT IN A NETWORK
Determine the most appropriate server solution for a given business purpose or situation
Rank user demands on a server
Optimize server placement
CISN 300

8. Student Learning Outcomes and Course Objectives - Continued:
SLO #03: EVALUATE SERVER HARDWARE
Evaluate motherboard buses
Inspect common server processors, and common types of memory
Contrast how clock frequency affects performance
Compare physical and logical drives and describe their functionality
Identify characteristics of the IDE interface and configure IDE cabling and connectors
SLO #04: APPRAISE SERVER UPGRADES
Calculate, adequately test and pilot the server upgrade
Verify the availability of system resources
CISN 300

9. Student Learning Outcomes and Course Objectives - Continued:
SLO #05: ASSESS COMMON NETWORKING PROTOCOLS, TOPOLOGIES, MEDIA AND EQUIPMENT
Examine bus, ring, and star network topologies
Describe Token Ring and Ethernet media access methods
Uncover the purpose behind bridges, switches, hubs, and routers
Discuss NetBEUI, IPX/SPX, and TCP/IP protocols
SLO #06: CONTRAST DIFFERENT SERVER SOFTWARE
Identify network operating system characteristics and versions
Examine network operating system hardware requirements
Judge different network operating system installations and upgrades techniques
Configure, install, and maintain a Linux, and/or Windows network operating system
CISN 300

10. Student Learning Outcomes and Course Objectives - Continued:
SLO #07: DIFFERENTIATE THE USE OF COMMON NETWORK SERVICES AND APPLICATIONS
Identify and understand major network operating system services
Discuss the different ways that servers run network applications
Describe the function of monitoring agents
Specify the functions of the server as a network device
CISN 300

11. Student Obligations:
It is important that you understand what is expected of you in this course.
Refer to the Syllabus if you have any questions.
CISN 300

12. Attendance:
Since this course is an online-hybrid class, only attendance at the On-Campus Orientation on Aug. 27, 2008 and the Final Exam on Oct. 15, 2008 is necessary. There will be weekly lab time on campus, and it is up to you to complete the lab assignments during the lab time or at home.
Doing the labs themselves is not optional but doing them at the college can be.
I will be giving credit for students attending the lab On-Campus.
Typically each week we will be covering two chapters in your textbook.
Attendance for the On-Campus Final Exam is required. Photo identification is required at the time of the exam to verify your identity.
CISN 300

13. Quizzes: The quizzes will test you on the material covered.
It is open book and open notes.
You can take the quiz multiple times to improve you score, but be aware that the questions may change each time you take quiz and that you last quiz score will be the one counted as your grade.
Each quiz is worth 30 points.
CISN 300

14. Discussion Forums:
I want everyone to take a pro-active approach to learning this material. This includes using the discussion forums to ask questions and also answer other students’ questions. I will be posting questions to further your understanding of the material.
I expect each student to post at least two times in a discussion forum.
You can accomplish this task by asking questions about the current discussion topic or by responding to existing questions.
My expectation from you is that you will write at least two to three sentence responses that add substance to the discussion.
Each discussion forum is worth 20 points.
CISN 300

15. Labs:
We will be spending a lot of time working on lab activities. Each lab assignment has review questions that you will need to answer in Desire2Learn in order for you to receive points for that assignment.
You are responsible for making sure that your instructor receives your lab review.
Each lab assignment is worth 50 points.
CISN 300

16. Final Exam:
The final exam will consist of two parts. One part will be a hands-on practical demonstration of assigned tasks and the other part will be an exam taken in Desire2Learn.
The final exam will be on Wednesday, Oct. 15th, 2008.
I will be having a review session the week before to help you.
CISN 300

17. Due Dates:
Unless noted, all assignments will be submitted in Desire2Learn under the “Weekly Assignments” link.
If, for any reason, you cannot access Desire2Learn or are unable to submit the assignment on time, please it to me instead so that you are not penalized for being late.
Quizzes and the discussion items cannot be taken past their due date.
If you miss a quiz and you want to make up points, you can take advantage of the extra credit assignments posted in Desire2Learn.
Everyone is welcome to work on the extra credit assignments. Typically, they are five to ten points each, depending on the difficulty of the assignment.
CISN 300

18. Late Work:
Unless noted all assignments are due on Tuesday by midnight each week.
I have identified the due dates in the course schedule.
Late work will be accepted ONLY if you have contacted me prior to the due date either by or voice mail.
In general, late work is due the next week, and no late assignments may be turned in after one week from the original due date regardless of the reason.
For every day an assignment is late, you will lose 10% of its grade.
CISN 300

19. Plagiarism Policy/Cheating:
It is inappropriate, and a violation of academic policy, to copy information from any source (including, but not limited to, textbooks, magazine articles, newspaper articles and Internet articles) without giving proper credit to the author by using standard quotation procedures such as in-line quotes, footnotes, endnotes, etc. Quotes may not exceed 25% of the assignment’s total length.
You will receive no credit (0 points) for any assignment that copies any material from any other source without giving proper credit to the author(s). Repeated offenders of this policy are subject to academic discipline as outlined in the polices published by the college.
Cheating:
Students who cheat will receive a failing grade for the course. (see CRC College Catalog, p. 37.)
CISN 300

20. Dropping:
Students are responsible for dropping the course.
CISN 300

21. E-mail/Discussions Etiquette:
Every student will be required to have an account.
I will not tolerate rude and demeaning comments or s to anyone in this class. Please keep you comments and s topic-related.
If I determine that a comment or to anyone else in the class is rude or demeaning, I will warn you once. If you behavior continues to be unacceptable, I will refer you to the administration of the college for disciplinary action.
CISN 300

22. Personal Belongings: No food or drinks are allowed in the classroom.
All cell phones, beepers, and pagers, etc. should be turned off or set to vibrate.
Any telephone calls need to be taken outside.
CISN 300

23. Disabilities:
If you have a documented disability and wish to discuss academic accommodations, please contact after class or contact the Office of Disable Student Programs and Services at as soon as possible.
CISN 300

24. Campus Police You can call 691-7777 to request a safety escort.
CISN 300

25. Online Course Responsibilities:
This course requires significant self-motivation. You must not get behind. Labs and weekly assignments can take up to eight hours to finish. Please don’t try to finish them in one day. Not all activities are created equal. Some may take a bit longer than others.
You would normally spend 3 hours per week in class for this course: total of 72 hours. Allow yourself at least 8 hours per week to complete the activities online, including the time spent writing for the postings to the class discussion board. You should plan additional time to read the textbook and study for the quizzes.
Some people believe this is a much easier way to study this subject than an on-campus framework because they love to read and avoid the parking problems. Others feel very intimidated at first. Be patient as you work your way through the activities.
CISN 300

26. Using Desire2Learn: How to log in:
You will not be able to participate in the online portion of your class using Los Rios Online until you have enrolled in your course through your college's registration system.
Students registered as of the first day of the term should already have Los Rios Online accounts and be linked to the classes in which they are enrolled.
To log on to your Desire2Learn account, open your web browser and go to the following URL:
Your User Name is the letter w followed by your Student ID# Example: w
Your default password is your birthday in the format: MMDDYYYY Example: Birthday is June 12, 1974 then password =
CISN 300

27. Approximate % the of Grade
Grading:
Course Topic
Points
Total
Approximate % the of Grade
Labs (6) 50
300 40
Orientation Quiz (1) 10 1
Quizzes (4) 30
120 16
Discussions (6) 20
Final Exam (1)
200 27
Point System:
There are 750 total assigned points.
Grade Ranges:
A= , B= , C= , D= , F=0-449
CISN 300

28. Lecture/Lab Schedule:
Sample Schedule:
Day:
Lecture/Lab Schedule:
Assignment Due:
Due Date
(By Midnight):
Week 1
Wed.
(8/27)
Orientation and Introductions
Orientation Discussion
Orientation Quiz
Tues., Sept. 2, 2008
Ch 1: Introduction to managing the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server
View the Online
Orientation
Lab #1
Week 2
(9/3)
Ch 2: Manage User Access and Security
Discussion #1 (Ch 1-2)
Tues. , Sept. 9, 2008
Ch 3: Manage the Linux File System
Lab #2
CISN 300

29. Conclusion:
Log into Desire2Learn and take the Orientation Quiz. It is due on Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2008.
Go to the Orientation Discussion Forum and introduce yourself to the class.
Registered students for the class have access to Blackboard and can log into the campus network.
any questions you might have to me.
CISN 300